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Tomb of Dracula 10
"His Name Is... Blade!" is the tenth issue of the original Tomb of Dracula comic book series by Marvel Comics. It was written by Marv Wolfman with artwork by Gene Colan and Jack Abel. It was colored by Petra Goldberg and lettered by Denise Wohl (credited as D. Vladimer). Cover art was provided by Gil Kane. This issue introduces the character of Blade and chronicles his first meeting with the vampire Dracula. Synopsis hree vampires descend upon two lovers named Bobby and Ellen in bat form. As they shift into their human forms to attack, they find that their would-be victims are not the only ones sequestered in the darkened ally. A vampire hunter calling himself Blade brandishes a wooden knife and they hunters quickly become the hunted. He stakes two of them in close-quartered combat while the third turns back into a bat and tries to get away. Blade leaps upon him and finishes him off. As he collects himself, Quincy and Edith Harker appear in the alley. Quincy admonishes Blade for his brash actions, indicating that he needed the neophyte vampires alive so he could track them back to their master, Dracula. Blade however, feels that the small victories are just as vital as the larger ones and tells Van Helsing that his 60+ year crusade has yet to bring about an end to Dracula's scourge. He scoffs at the older man and tells him that he will handle Dracula his own way. Meanwhile, aboard the party ship Michele, Garbiel Trulaine hosts a lavish turnout for his young, wealthy friends. He introduces his special guest of honor - none other than Dracula himself. Dracula entertains the guests, downplaying the true nature of his existence and most believe that he is merely an actor or con-man playing the role of Dracula, never realizing that the gentleman smiling at them is in truth the lord of all vampires. Dracula invites a fair-haired woman back to his cabin for a nightcap. Once inside, he drinks her blood until she falls over unconscious, then hands her over to his minion, Clifton Graves, to keep an eye on her. Dracula then goes up to the wheelhouse and attacks the ship's captain, Charlie O'Casey. He knocks him out then takes control of the ship, altering its course. The boat lurches violently sending many of the guests above deck toppling over. He then goes topside and reveals himself to everyone on board as the one true Dracula. One of the partiers, Martin Scampt, has no intention of becoming one of Dracula's mind-controlled slaves and fires a gun at him. Dracula laughs at the elderly man's impertinence and tosses him overboard. Turning back towards the others, he issues an ultimatum: They will either help him to advance his cause, or else they will suffer the torments of the living dead. An Indian man produces a cross and Dracula recoils. This emboldens the other guests to attack him, but he turns into a mist and disappears. Meanwhile, Blade tracks Dracula to the ''Michele''. He docks alongside the boat and climbs aboard. He finds Dracula just as he is reforming and the two begin fighting. Few are Blade's equal with a knife, but Dracula has been fighting eager vampire killers for centuries and he eventually gets the drop on him. Back in Dracula's cabin, the blonde-haired woman awakens and clubs Clifton Graves across the back of the head. She then stumbles out onto the deck and finds Dracula fighting Blade. Still under the vampire's thrall, she pledges her loyalty to him and this distracts Dracula. Blade manages to pull her to his side, but Dracula warns him that he has a bomb on the boat set to explode. With a maniacal laugh, he transforms into a bat and flies away. Blade has only seconds to get as many people off the boat as he can before it explodes. Clifton Graves however, is not one of the lucky ones and is left behind. The Michele explodes, seemingly killing him. Blade and the other guests watch the conflagration in the water at a safe distance. Appearances Featured characters * Blade Supporting characters * Quincy Harker * Edith Harker * Garbiel Trulaine * Martin Scampt Antagonists * Dracula * Clifton Graves Minor characters * Bobby * Charlie O'Casey * Ellen Races * Bats * Vampires Locations * England :* London Items * Crucifix * Quincy Harker's wheelchair * Wooden knives Vehicles * [[The Michele|The Michele]] Notes & Trivia * This issue is reprinted in ''Essential Tomb of Dracula'', Volume 1 and the ''Tomb of Dracula Omnibus'', Volume 1. * This issue is job number: 1420 Z. * Inker Jack Abel's name is mis-spelled Jack Able in this issue. * Letterer Denise Wohl is credited as D. Vladimer in this issue. * First appearance of Blade. Blade appears next in ''Tomb of Dracula'' #18. * [[The Michele|The Michele]] is likely named after colorist Michele Wolfman, then-wife of writer Marv Wolfman. * Fourth appearance of both Quincy Harker and his daughter Edith. * Clifton Graves actually survives the explosion aboard the Michele and turns back up in ''Tomb of Dracula'' #20. * It is unclear if Captain Charlie O'Casey survives the destruction of the Michele or not. Recommended Reading * Dracula Lives Vol 1 * Tomb of Dracula Vol 1 * Tomb of Dracula Vol 2 * Tomb of Dracula Omnibus Vol 1 See also External Links * * * * Tomb of Dracula #10 at the Marvel Horror Wiki References ---- Category:Tomb of Dracula Vol 1 Category:1973 comic book issues Category:Roy Thomas/Editor-in-Chief Category:Gil Kane/Cover artist Category:Tom Palmer, Sr./Cover inker Category:Tom Palmer, Sr./Cover colorist Category:Gaspar Saladino/Cover letterer Category:Marv Wolfman/Writer Category:Gene Colan/Penciler Category:Jack Abel/Inker Category:Petra Goldberg/Colorist Category:Denise Wohl/Letterer Category:Roy Thomas/Editor Category:Comics with plot summaries